Day kicks off bright and early with a standup meeting, where PO sets the course for the day ahead. It’s all about ensuring the team is on track and any roadblocks (that are in the PO’s domain to remove of course) are swiftly dealt with.

But wait, there’s more! POs trusty sidekick throughout the day is the product backlog. This magical list contains all the tasks needed to bring PO’s vision to life. And let us tell you, it’s a living, breathing beast that requires constant love and attention. Prioritizing, sequencing, updating— backlog is Product Owner’s best friend.

As the day unfolds, PO finds himself in a whirlwind of meetings and discussions. From clarifying developer queries to rubbing shoulders with the bigwigs in the organization, PO’s calendar is packed tighter than a can of sardines.

One moment, PO is deep in conversation with developers, ironing out the nitty-gritty details of a feature. The next, he/she is sitting down with the business owner, charting the course for the next big release. Talk about wearing multiple hats!

As the project champion, PO must be sufficiently business savvy to ensure the product contains the right features that work in the right way. This relies on a solid understanding of the customer and business.

PO needs to ensure he/she is available to everyone who needs to talk to him/her. This includes everyone in the sprint team to key stakeholders throughout the organization and beyond.

As the name suggests, agile development doesn’t stand still so although a PO might be trying to close out one sprint, PO has stakeholders with their eyes on the horizon, seeking the next product release.

Being able to take the long view as well as keeping hold of the detail is central to this role. This could mean having a 20 minute sit-down with the business owner to discuss what’s needed next.

New releases are a typical topic of discussion and the PO will need to provide technical information in an understandable way.

Stakeholders may want to see later stages of the job brought forwards or they may want changes to be made. In this case, the PO will need to be up-to-date with the project’s status to know what is and is not possible in the next sprint before making any commitments.

Following the meeting with the business owner, it’s time to commit future sprint changes to paper and put plans in place to make sure you have the resources you need.

But hey, it’s not all business all the time. PO also finds himself knee-deep in testing results, analyzing every glitch and hiccup with a keen eye. Decisions need to be made, and PO’s the one with the strategic vision to steer the ship in the right direction.

And as the day draws to a close, PO take a moment to reflect on the whirlwind of activity. Sure, it may have been chaotic at times, but there’s nothing quite like the thrill of being at the helm of innovation, driving change and making things happen.